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Old 02-03-2021, 08:49 PM   #1
sbigham3a@gmail.com
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Heaters instead of winterizing?

I just purchased a 2018 Montana 3730FL. Someone told me that running space heaters inside your coach will also heat the floor enough to keep pipes from freezing.

Didn't sound right to me, but want to ask?

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Old 02-03-2021, 10:15 PM   #2
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Scot,

First, welcome to the forum!

There are a lot of variables with freezing pipes. You can certainly use heaters if you have them set fairly high and include one in the basement. You can winterize in 20 minutes or so - that is the option I would choose unless it was for a very short period. As an AZ resident, I don't do anything unless we have forecast temps below 28 for an extended time.
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Old 02-04-2021, 05:57 AM   #3
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If you put heaters in your unit remember heat rises. Your pipes are under the floor, heat won't get to them unless you put a heater in the belly of the unit. Even if the power for your heaters is very reliable power outages still happen and you may not be there to know it. I winterize by blowing out the lines with air. Like AZ Traveler said it only takes a few minutes. The few minutes you spend winterizing is less than the time it will take to repair leaks from frozen lines.
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Old 02-04-2021, 06:47 AM   #4
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Don’t sound right to me either unless it doesn’t get very cold where you live.
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Old 02-04-2021, 06:51 AM   #5
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If you run your furnace and tank heaters and put 75W 120vac lead acid battery heaters (or incandescent light bulbs) in your battery compartment and basement.... YES.

Just running electric space heaters does not put heat into your underbelly or the basement.
Pictures are a comparison of both.
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Old 02-04-2021, 09:40 AM   #6
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Welcome to the forum! I wouldn't do it for the reasons mentioned above.
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Old 02-04-2021, 10:13 AM   #7
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Welcome to the forums.

If you live in a freeze state zone and are not planning on using your camper but storing it for a while, I strongly encourage you to winterize it. Depending on electric heaters is risky, especially if temps are already freezing or below. At any time, you could loose power. It takes only a short time for things to start freezing up. And then you are toast.

It take 2 - 3 gallons of RV antifreeze to run through all your water lines, and it takes just a few minutes to dump all your holding tanks and drain your water heater. The RV antifreeze costs between $2.00 - $5.00 a gallon, depending on where you purchase it. At the very, very most, it will cost you $15. That is by far a much better insurance than running the risk of lines freezing and breaking and then costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars to fix and repair.

In an RV, you just don't crawl under and run a new line. You have to tear 3/4's of the trailer apart to get to the lines to replace them.

Do the RV antifreeze. It takes just a few minutes, and you are better protected. In the spring, all you do in run fresh water through the lines and flush out the antifreeze.

It's your best protection.

--- or ---

Blow out the lines with an air compressor. Lots of YouTube videos explaining how to do this. No antifreeze at all, no water in the lines. No problem with anything freezing.

Many blow and do not use Antifreeze. Your choice. Just don't depend upon electric heat. The cost of the used electricity will far exceed the cost of the antifreeze.
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